WHEN DO ACCIDENTS BECOME PATHOLOGICAL?

We have always seen bad accidents in Sri Lanka. That didn't start yesterday, or last year. Some of them — bus, train, even air crashes — were terrible. But most major accidents occur on the roads, involving motor vehicles, rather than trains and aircraft. In 2024, 2,521 people died in road accidents. We shall therefore confine ourselves to that sphere for the sake of this discussion.

- By Gamini Akmeemana

Like crime, accidents have their own pathology. Causes of road accidents are many driver negligence, pedestrian carelessness, drivers falling asleep or being under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, reckless driving, mechanical failure, driver's health issues, bad vision, bad weather, bad roads etc. Some of the above reckless driving, presence of alcohol and narcotics could be viewed as pathological.

The scene of one accident from the 1980s remains engraved in my memory passing New Kelani Bridge one morning, I saw the saddest of sights a topped motorcycle, and an adolescent girl lying lifeless on the road her head, resting on a fast congealing pool of blood, was strangely flattened. A Rosa private bus parked alongside told me what had happened there a wheel had gone over the girl's face after the motorcycle was knocked down.

This was a few years after the private bus system was introduced, bringing in a new dimension of recklessness, rage and its own peculiar pathology into our roads and road transport. I remember a story from another province. This was the time the little Honda Chally motorcycle was fast selling in Sri Lanka. In this case, the parents had decided to buy two challies for their two children (two sons, or son and daughter, I can't remember). The whole family went out for a leisure ride on their Challies. Both children were knocked down and killed by a speeding private bus.

I have no idea if both parties were negligent or reckless in this case. But, knowing the nature of the beast, it may be correct to assume that the greater part of the blame lies with the bus driver. With very few exceptions, the entire service was run by young toughs (drivers as well as conductors) thrown into cut throat competition with each other and the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), racing on the road with scant regard to the safety of other road users.